The Futurist With No Future
by starkasticavenger5678
Summary: No one has gone into Tony Stark's lab in years. Not since the battle against Loki. The room had been avoided, by everyone, completely...until now. Steve finds himself caught in between worlds with Tony, surprisingly, by his side.
1. Welcome Home Mr Stark

Deep in the halls of Stark Tower, there was a lab. Anthony Stark's lab to be exact. No one had gone in that room since the owner of said room died. The day the man in the Iron Man suit had flown the nuke into the sky happened to be his last. He died a hero. The team was surprised to find out that the billionaire had planned out his final wishes on paper. He wanted them to stay at Stark Tower, even now that he wasn't around, so they could use the technology that was available and because it had become more of a home than another one of Tony's buildings he sometimes stayed in. Pepper was now in charge of Stark Industries, but only if she wanted too. She accepted only adding one circumstance. Rhodey was there with her every step of the way. Even though everyone stayed together, the mourning process wasn't any easier.

The funeral was perfect. It wasn't over the top like how Tony would joke it'd be. It was quiet, small, and above all had no press. Even when the man was gone, news reporters saw him as a quick buck. His death was another negative that the world could laugh at. Fury would say he could hear Tony cursing in his grave every time someone said something negative about him. No one knew if that was suppose to cheer them up or something, but they didn't really dwell on it.

Yet, no matter how angry or sad the rest of the team was over losing their friend, they had to keep working. They had to stay strong. They had to be the heros of day and move on.

But that was then. Now, five years later, no one had gone into that room. Until now.

"Clint you better give it back. I need it to train." Steve Rogers had been searching for his so called friend who had just stolen his gym bag. According to the skilled archer, Captain America has been around to long and needed a break. Apparently he needed to let his inner Steve out. Relax and take things slow for a day or two. Of course Steve hated the idea. He needed to train. He needed to be alert. He needed to be ready for anything.

"Good luck finding your bag, Cap." Clint's voice came over the speaker system in the tower followed by the power shutting off. Steve cursed under his breath. He had just lost the ability to ask JARVIS, look on the security cameras feed, or even see through the halls all the way.

After wandering around for a few minutes, Steve realized he wasn't exactly sure where in the tower he was anymore. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings when he was chasing after Clint in the first place so now with, no lights, he was truly lost. With an annoyed groan, he pushed his way past a random door, into a room, that he hoped had his bag. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he opened up the flashlight app so he could see where he was.

Storage room. The chances of Clint hiding his bag in there was not likely. It was to bland of a room. To predictable or to normal for someone like Clint. There wasn't anything interesting in there other than old, worn out uniforms, gym equipment, decorations (Thor's idea), or a few unfinished projects of the man who's name brought sadness. Dust covered everything in this room, causing Steve to sneeze loudly.

"Ugh, someone should really clean in here." He wasn't sure why he said it out loud. He kind of hoped Clint was hiding behind a box and that his comment would make the man laugh and reveal his "great" hiding spot. All Steve had wanted was to work out and now he'd be getting an allergy attack.

Quickly scanning the room with his blue eyes, just to be sure his bag wasn't in there, Steve growled in annoyance and went to the next room. Using the flashing app again, Steve's breath caught in his throat.

 _Tony's lab._

The room looked exactly the way Tony had left it. An organized mess. Empty coffee cups cluttered the already paper and metal filled tables.

Steve slowly backed his way towards the door but ended up backing up into a random table. Jumping at the sudden contact, he dropped his phone, wincing at the sound of it breaking as the room went dark again. His eyes tried to scan the room quickly so he could make his escape, but he froze. He felt a cold breeze run over the back of his neck. He instantly assumed the it was the air conditioning. If that air was on that meant the power was too, so with quick feet, he ran over to the wall he believed had the light switch. Hands patted the wall for what felt like hours until they fumbled with the familiar feeling of the simple switch. Hope literally exploded in his brain when, after violently flipping the switch up and down, nothing happened. Steve grunted a sound of anger as he sunk to the floor to find his broken phone. Then he felt it again. The cold air. This time it brushed over Steve's face, making the super soldier close his eyes. He mentally swore he could smell coffee mixed with oil and a hint of mint, all underneath a strong cologne. Once the breeze past, Steve sat up straight, still sitting on his knees as he tried to look around. That smell was way too familiar.

"Tony?"

With a quick mental slap, Steve felt stupid for even thinking..

" _Stevvve…."_

Steve jumped at the whispering voice in his ear. He became terrified when the voice laughed. Then the cold wind went _through_ him. His heart felt cold and he gasped for air when his mind panicked and told him he was in ice again. The laughing got louder and it didn't help him calm down any. Suddenly Steve could feel ice cold hands grab onto his arms, from behind, squeezing tightly as the whispering voice screamed in his ear.

"STEVE!"

Steve screamed and fell forward, hiding his face as he shook uncontrollably. The laughing above him became less evil and threatening a it was replaced by a genuinely amused laughed. It sounded like it was gasping for air. Steve slowly uncovered his face and looked up. He nearly screamed again at what he saw.

"Holy shit, you should have seen the look on your face."

Steve sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He was starting to believe he was just dreaming a horrible nightmare.

"T-Tony?"

There he was. Tony Stark. Laughing at a terrified Steve. He was literally floating a few inches off the ground. He looked nearly see through and drained of color, but he didn't look unhealthy. He even looked younger than the last time Steve saw him. Slowly, Steve's mind put two and two together.

"I can't believe I'm dreaming about you being a ghost." Steve laughed at his words.

"You think you're dreaming?"

"Of course I am. There's no such thing as ghosts." Steve said flatly.

"You sure about that. I mean you were frozen for years and that's normal? I flew around as Iron Man. Is that normal? Bruce turns into a green giant when he's pissed. How is that normal? If all of those things are considered possible then who's to say ghost don't exist?" Tony questioned.

Steve sat still. Deep in thought. Dream Tony had a point. The life he lived was what people would consider impossible. Maybe even fictional. Steve snorted at the thought.

"Okay I'll humor you. Let's say you're really a ghost. Why didn't you appear sooner?"

Tony frowned. "I'm sort of bound to this room and no one's been in here for years so…"

Steve felt his heart seize up. If this was real that means Tony has been waiting for someone to walk in. Waiting, for five years, for anyone to show up. He must have been so scared when this all started. Finding out he couldn't leave must have drove him mad. Steve shook his head, shaking the thought. That would be awful if this was really happening.

"Look I get it, it sounds insane, but would I lie to you?" Tony held his arms out, waiting for Steve to answer. Slowly his questioning smile fell along with his arms.

"Don't answer that."

Steve couldn't help but laugh. It was one of his laughs where one of his hands shot up to his chest and and the other reached out like he was trying to hold on to something. Once he calmed down he noticed that Tony had a huge smile on his face.

"What?" Steve asked with a chuckle.

"It's just… it feels so good to talk to someone." Tony breathed out.

Steve stared at Tony for a few minutes before he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Okay. I believe you. If I come back tomorrow and you're here, I'll know this wasn't a dream."

Tony smiled as he floated closer to Steve. "You'll come back? Really? Please don't be lying. I don't even remember how long I've been here that's how bad it is without people."

Steve's heart sank a little at how excited Tony got at the idea of someone coming to see him.

"I promise." Steve smiled at Tony.

Tony leaned forward to hug Steve and stopped before he had even really started. Fear all over his face as he stared at his arms that had disappeared through Steve's chest. It looked like Tony just realized he was a ghost. Steve could feel the cold air again and he began to panic. His mind was running a mile a minute, telling him he was in the ice again. Telling him he couldn't breathe. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until Tony yanked his arms away, like he had been burned, causing Steve to suck in air loudly. It was almost like Steve couldn't breath when Tony did that. It felt like the cold of Tony had a hold on Steve's lungs. Tony's arms had felt like two icicles were piercing his chest, freezing his lungs until they felt frozen solid.

"I...I don't….understand." Tony whispered, a sad and distant look in his eyes.

"Tony are you okay?"

Tony snapped his head up at Steve's words. "I am able to move objects around. I should be able to touch you. At least for a second.."

Steve's chest hurt at the sight of Tony being sad. Especially over something as simple as touch. If this was a dream, Steve hated his brain for making it up. He knew he'd be waking up with tears on his face because of it.

"Don't worry about it, Tony. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" Steve mumbled with a small smile.

Tony nodded frantically. Behind them footsteps could be heard coming towards the room. Steve looked at the door and back to Tony who looked disappointed that their conversation was over. Suddenly the lights flicked on and at the same time Tony practically evaporated into thin air. Steve had to resist the urge to reach out after the genius. Seconds later the door opened slowly, revealing Clint, who was holding Steve's gym bag.

"Hey Cap. It's strange being in here. Why are you here by yourself?" the question mark in Barton's question could be heard, cutting through the air.

"I was just thinking. You're right, I need to take a few days to relax." Steve mumbled.

Clint smiled in Steve's direction. "Ten points to me for having my plan work. Come on let's go find the others and eat. I'm starving and I'm sure Thor is already half way through any food we have for the week."

Clint was already out of sight, leaving Steve's bag in the hallway. Steve scanned the room one last time before he walked to the door and reached for the light switch. His hand hovered over the switch for a moment as he whispered to himself.

"That better have been real.."


	2. Fear Is How I Fall

"Steve! Where the hell is your phone? I've been calling you all day!"

Natasha had barged into the gym, hands on her hips, with her face almost as red as her hair.

"Shit um, I don't know. I left it somewhere and forgot about it. What did you need?" Steve walked away from the punching bag he had been taking out his anger on.

"Bruce has gone MIA again. He hasn't been doing very well. I think we need to have a talk with Fury about giving him a break. Maybe we can find someone else who can help out the team, but all I know is Bruce needs a break."

With his mind a mile away, Steve nodded. "Yea sure. I'll talk to Fury. Don't worry about it. If you hear from Bruce, let me know, though." Steve turned his attention back to the punching bag, and began punching it with little to no force.

"Cap, what's wrong?"

Steve almost flinched at Natasha's words.

"Just thinking. Lot on my mind."

With an annoyed sigh, Natasha nodded. "It's okay. You'll tell me the whole story later, after everything goes to hell."

Steve laughed as he turned to look at his friend. She shrugged and smiled as she turned to walk out the door. Once she was out of earshot Steve mumbled to himself.

"Nothings going to hell." He shook his head in a playful manner. Then the concern set in again. If his phone was still gone, that meant he **had** dropped it in Tony's lab last night. That meant it really happened, and here Steve was wasting more than half the day hiding from that room instead of going back like he promised. Hell he made several promises yesterday. He promised to take a break to relax and look at him now. He was more on edge than before. With a quiet sigh, Steve rubbed his hand over his face. Turning to get his bag was harder said than done. He didn't **not** want to see Tony ever again, but that didn't mean he wanted to see him as a ghost either.

With his feet heavy, Steve scooted his way into the elevator. He began to think of all the possibilities that could explain last night.

Dream. (That was the obvious possibility.)

2\. He was drugged. (Probably not possible.)

3\. He's gone insane. ( _Very_ possible.)

4\. It was a hologram Tony left to scare others. (Good possibility but how did Tony make it understand what the conversation was and how did it touch him when it scared him)

The ding of the elevator snapped Steve out of his thoughts. He checked to see if anyone was around before he made his way to the lab. If Tony was really trapped in there, Steve didn't know if he wanted to see the others. If he wasn't there, Steve didn't want the others so see how crazy he had become. Once he made it to the door of the lab he began to shake. He wasn't sure why he felt so anxious to see Tony or possibly not see him. Steve swallow his worry and opened the door. The room was dark but Steve could notice that the room looked different. Like somethings had been moved.

Closing the door behind him, Steve whispered in a shaky voice. "T-tony..?"

Slowly Steve scanned the room. His eyes stopped at a figure that was facing the window that had been covered to keep the light out. Steve let out a shaky breath as he walked closer. His heart was racing as his brain realized this was real. Tony had been here all along Trapped for years.

"Tony?"

The man in question snapped his head to look at Steve.

"Steve! You came back!" A smile grew on Tony's face, but it looked forced.

Tony looked different compared to yesterday. His face looked hollow and he looked tired. He even looked skinnier. Steve noticed what looked like tear stains on the man's face. This time Tony looked like he was actually dead.

"Tony are you okay?" Steve almost reached forward but remembered that he couldn't touch Tony.

"Fine. I just… I wanted to look outside but I can't open the windows. I don't like how dark it is in here…" Tony looked down at the floor.

Steve felt his heart break. He wanted to hug Tony and never let go. "I'm sorry, Tony." He didn't know what to say.

"It's okay. I'm able to move other things so that passes the time."

"What can you move?" Steve tilted his head to the side.

"Mostly pencils. If I use all of my energy I can move a box, but it takes a lot out of me."

Steve nodded.

"So. Why did you come back anyways, Capsicle?" Tony forced a smile.

"Because I promised you I would." Tony smiled at Steve's words, but it seemed like every smile from Tony was forced.

They stayed there for a few minutes before Steve broke the silence.

"Tony? What's...it like-"

"Being dead?" Tony snapped. When he saw the shock on Steve's face, he sighed and looked away quickly.

"Sorry. Some days are better than others. I don't always remember things so sometimes I forget that I'm… dead. I can't even sleep Steve. I've been wide awake everyday and it's awful because sometimes I can feel my mind and my memories disappearing before they're even gone." Tony looked like he wanted to puke as he closed his eyes

"And you feel that happening right now don't you." Steve whispered.

Tony nodded keeping his eyes closed.

"Tony I wish I could help." Steve breathed out in a hushed voice.

"I feel like… there's a way to help. Like I had a plan. But… I just can't remember!" Tony became angry and he swung his arms at a pile of paper on the table next to them. They both jumped back, surprised, when the papers scattered everywhere. Tony looked at his hands like he didn't recognize them. Steve could hear ringing in his ears as he stared at the equally confused man before him.

"Anger." Tony said flatly. "Makes sense. I can do more when I'm angry."

Tony shook his head and laughed a forced, angry laugh.

"I was angry my whole life. I guess I can't be happy in the afterlife either…" Tony let his hands drop to his sides as he looked at the floor.

"Tony, you can still be happy. Maybe you just have unfinished business and once you complete it, you'll move on." Steve said, forcing himself to sound hopeful.

Tony scoffed. "I doubt it's that simple, Cap."

"Then we'll figure it out. I'll come by everyday if I have to."

Tony's eyes practically lit up at Steve's words.

"Y-you.. you would?" Tony mentally cursed at himself for stuttering. Steve smiled and nodded, his smile growing when Tony smiled a real smile back.

Steve noticed that Tony looked less see through in that moment. He almost looked like he was really there. Steve slowly reached forward for Tony's arm. He felt his fingers brush against Tony's cold skin. Tony yelped and pulled his arm back quickly, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Steve… I felt that. It felt so warm." Tony was back to staring at his arm like he had never seen it before. Steve looked at his own hand with wonder.

"You might have a strong effect on our surroundings when you're angry, but when you're happy it's a different effect." Steve smiled at Tony again.

At that moment, a loud alarm began to blare over their heads, alerting Steve that something was wrong. The two men let their eyes meet for a split second before Steve looked away and went into full Captain America mode.

"I have to go."

"What is that?" Tony covered his ears as he glared at the ceiling.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Tony, that's the alarm system. You installed it years ago."

"Oh. That sounds like something I'd do. I still hate the sound." Tony shrugged his shoulders as best as he could while he kept his hands over his ears. Steve looked at Tony with a confused look. It seemed odd that a sound Tony heard every other day, for years, now bothered him. As the alarm continued, Tony grew more angry. His breathing became heavy, his grip over his ears became tighter, and he eventually squeezed his eyes shut. For some reason the sound was louder in Tony's ears and once it became too much, his eyes flew open and his breath became caught in his throat as he remembered.

" _Stark.. you know that's a one way trip?"_

" _Save the rest for the turn, J."_

" _Sir.. shall I try ?"_

" _...Might as well."_

 _All that Tony could hear was his heart beating in his ears, pounding louder and harder the closer he got to the portal above him. God, he was terrified. Suddenly all he could hear was a loud alarm, it hurt his head. He wanted it to stop. He wasn't sure if it was from the suit or his own mind warning him that this idea was stupid. It became so loud he would be surprised if his ears weren't bleeding. He wanted to scream back at the next thing he knew was he went through the portal._

 _Pepper never answered. The suit powered down. The nuke flew forward as he fell back. His eyes fell shut as everything exploded in front of him. He became surrounded by a deafening silence. Not a sounds could be heard. No more alarm. There wasn't even the sound of his terrified heart beating anymore._

Slowly Tony's hands fell from his ears as he stared through Steve, like the super soldier wasn't even there. His face showed no emotion as he just stood there, unmoving.

"Tony?" Steve didn't care that there was an emergency somewhere. He had forgotten all about it now. The alarm had stopped only moments ago and Steve hadn't even noticed. He was staring at Tony, waiting for him to answer.

Tony's eyes began to focus on what was in front of him.

"Tony?" Steve tried asking again.

"Leave." Tony whispered.

"What?"

"I said leave. _Now!"_ Tony's eyes flared the color red at Steve when he yelled. Steve jumped back at the sight. Tony hadn't looked human. It was like Tony was gone. Like he was an animal. Steve reached out with a shaky hand. Tony's eyes looked like fire as he practically flew at Steve with terrifyingly high speed, their faces inches apart.

" _Leave."_ Tony growled. His voice sounded demonic as he hovered slightly above Steve, making himself taller.

Steve was shaking as he nodded, uncontrollably. Steve could feel potential tears burning his eyes from fear. He slowly backed away from Tony, towards the door. Tony had glided away from Steve and was once again facing the boarded up window. His frame looked more like a skeleton and Steve didn't know if he was scared of Tony or for him. Quickly and quietly, Steve opened the door, keeping his eyes on Tony. He stood in the doorway for, only a moment, to make sure Tony wasn't going to say anything else. Then with his heart beating violently in his chest, Steve fled out the door, closing it as fast as he could. Once the door was closed and locked he leaned on his back against it. He released a shaky breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he slid down the door to the floor. Shaky hands flew up to cover his sweat covered face. The door felt hot against his spine. Reminding him of what was on the other side. Tears started rolling down Steve's face.

"Oh God. Oh God. Oh God…" Steve whispered to himself over and over again.

Something awful was happening to Tony. It hurt Steve's heart to think about it. There was no way Tony would act like that. Tony was confused about his death. That had to be the issue. The man died suddenly and spent a long amount of time alone, trapped, and angry. He didn't even have all of his memories so it was no surprise that this Tony was the equivalence of a hand grenade. One wrong move was like pulling the pin. Steve eventually calmed down long enough to realize it was dark outside. He had no idea what time it was. He didn't know how long he had been in that room. Slowly, Steve got up off the floor and searched for the others, dreading the nightmare he was bound to have tonight.


	3. I Don't Trust A Man Without A Dark Side

Something told Steve that Tony was mad.

Light bulbs would explode throughout the tower. Dishes would fall off if tables and break. Doors would slam shut. If you stood near the coffee machine to long, you got a migraine. Certain door handles felt like one thing Steve hated the most was that the atmosphere of whole tower felt like a giant freezer.

The team was all sitting together, to stay warm, by the giant fireplace that had been added to Stark Tower on account of all the times Clint would get a cold over the winter.

"Something is definitely wrong with the heat." Natasha growled.

What sounded like a whisper flowed through the room and extinguished the fire.

Thor made a sound similar to a whine as he pulled the blanket over his shoulders tighter. Clint was shivering uncontrollably and his teeth chattered together loudly as he sat in a ball with a heated blanket over his head. Natasha was nursing he unexplained migraine with a mug of hot tea, before that she had several cups of coffee to try and stay warm under the two blankets she had snatched from Clint when they were brought out.

Steve, who had a sweater,a hoodie, a hat, a comforter, and his favorite fuzzy socks,(Snickering provided by Clint.) turned his head to look at the hallway that lead to Tony's lab.

"Yea.. the heat."

No one seemed to notice Steve's sour mood. Either that or they assumed it was another mood that Captain America got into. Sure they cared about him, but they never saw him as a guy with issues.

Steve took a shaky breath in as he pushed past the thought of Tony raging in his lab. He was obviously angry enough to cause all of this commotion, so that's why Steve was back to avoiding that room. Only this time it hurt a lot more, to walk by that door and know his friend needed help. But, Steve didn't know how to help. Tony mentioned a plan. It sounded like he meant that he had prepared for his death. Maybe that did mean if Tony could remember, he'd move on.

' _Or better. Come back…'_

Steve shook his head at his thoughts. That's ridiculous. No one can come back from the de-. Well technically he did. But that was different. Or was it? Steve wanted to scream as he over thought everything. Thinking lately was the worst. It had become something he dreaded. He didn't want the time to be alone with his thoughts. His thoughts always lead back to the genius who was losing his spiritual mind.

By five o'clock that afternoon, the team had decided the tower wasn't safe anymore. The decision was made after Steve went to turn on the light in the kitchen and was electrocuted.

Steve was sitting on the couch, arms wrapped around himself, while his newly enhanced nerves, had him on edge. He was jumping at every sound, twitching every few seconds, and he had become unable to sit still.

"That's it, we're going somewhere else for the night!" Natasha yelled.

"This house, it's got dark magic. Perhaps it's a new foe." Thor inspected the ceiling with an eyebrow raised.

Clint walked into the room, dragging an overnight bag behind him. "Fuck magic, I'm out. Besides we aren't in the middle of a battle right now, so we have no reason to stay."

"Steve? What do you think?" Natasha tilted her head at the noticeably calmer Captain.

"Yea. It's smart. We'll meet up if we're needed again." Steve wasn't one hundred percent sure on what what he was agreeing to, considering he was still out of it from the shock.

With a loud mechanical hum the lights, that remained, grew brighter until the Avengers below them had to cover their eyes. With a pop the lights went out and glass fell everywhere.

"Good luck packing in the dark, guys." Clint's shaking voice could be heard somewhere in the dark.

Steve didn't go directly to his room to pack. He went down the hallway where Tony's lab resided. Once he reached the door that entered into the unknown, Steve felt his heart skip a beat. His mind began to fear what Tony would look like or say. It was obvious that something was off about the genius. Steve dd notice that the room sounded quiet from the outside. Almost as if no one was there. Slowly Steve placed his ear against the cold door, to have a better chance of hearing what Tony was doing.

Silence. Steve's heart raced in his throat. He waited and waited for anything to happen. He waited for a sound. For a cold breeze. Anything would have calmed his nerves.

Anything, but what actually happened.

As Steve backed away from the door, a pale hand reached through the door and grabbed his throat. It felt ice cold and like burning fire at the same time. The hand pulled him closer to the door, until his face was up against the it, and suddenly the hand threw him backwards with enough force to have him fall to the floor.

Steve's mind went blank as he frantically stood up and backed up against the wall. His breathing became loud irregular gasps as he stared at the door in front of him.

"Run. Just run. Keep running and never look back." Steve told himself, out loud.

Naturally he slowly walked forward and reached for the door handle with a shaky hand. Once his fingers wrapped around the handle he closed his eyes and opened the door.

One word described the room in Steve's mind. Blue. Blue like the arc reactor Tony had. Blue like the Tesseract that reared it's ugly head five years ago. The object that caused Tony to lose his life. Steve now decided that he hated that color blue. Yet he wore it every time they went into battle, like it was something to be proud of. Steve was slightly surprised the room didn't look different, as far as he could tell considering there was so much stuff in the room it made it hard to remember where everything was.

" _Steve.."_

The whisper sounded scared. Maybe even hurt.

"Tony? Where are you?" Steve felt his spine shiver at the thought of Tony being scared.

Then, almost like he was an electrical current, Tony appeared looking more alive than ever.

"Don't worry Cap. Tony's right here. Not going anywhere if I recall correctly." Tony might look more alive but he looked sick. Almost like a shell of himself. Steve felt his stomach get queasy when he realized it looked like Tony was actually just his dead body, being controlled by a demon.

Tony laughed at Steve's silence. It wasn't a genuine laugh either. This sounded evil. Demonic in a way.

"I see you noticed that something different, Cap. Well let me explain something. Being dead isn't a black and white situation. There's not just heaven or hell. Right now your previous Tony Stark is going through a war. Either he moves on as himself, let's say the good guy, or he stays and fucks shit up as me. It's all based on if he'll fight for himself."

Steve raised an eyebrow at 'Tony.'

"So if you're not Tony, who are you?"

"Oh I'm still Stark. Technically. I'm just how you say his dark side. Everyone has one. That's how it works when you die. Your two halves fight and if you don't move on you become the darker half of yourself. Explains why people are scared of ghost. They usually aren't nice." Tony grinned mischievously.

"What about the rare ones that are nice?" Steve asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

"You don't hear about what they do after they make you think they're nice. Besides none of that matters. Your Tony, the one you know and love, is still so confused by death, he's not even putting up a fight and I've been having the time of my life messing with you guys." Tony laughed quietly in his chest.

" _Steve.."_

There it was again, the scared whisper.

"Leave him alone!" Steve yelled, even though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop Tony's dark side.

"So sweet. The great Captain America is here to save Tony Stark from himself. If he can't save himself, how are you going to save him?" Tony looked angry now.

"I don't need to. You think he won't fight but I know he will. He already is." Steve's hands curled into a fist.

Tony chuckled. "I like how you act like you know what you're talking about. You found out about Tony, what, two days ago? He's been dead for five _years_ and you haven't been in this room once. That doesn't show you guys care. That shows you never did care and after all the time Stark wasted on liking you and wanting everyone's approval, I'm surprised he didn't end his own life."

Steve stared at Tony with disbelief in his eyes.

"That's..you're lying.." Steve's voice shook slightly.

Once again Tony laughed. His bone chilling laugh was cut short by the scared whisper.

" _Steve."_

"Tony?" Steve nearly jumped out of his skin. "Don't worry, I'll help you. Somehow…"

"Stop! He can whisper all he wants, that's not going to change a thing. Besides, you shouldn't worry about Stark. You should be worried about yourself." Tony's eyes went red like they had before. He looked possessed. Like he was turning into a monster, as he shot forward at Steve.

Steve threw his arms up to protect himself but it didn't help one bit, as Tony moved through Steve's chest and disappeared. Steve's heart felt cold. He couldn't breathe. It felt like hands were clawing the inside of his throat. Slowly, he sunk to the floor as he pulled on his shirt, trying to claw at his chest. His vision started to grow dark as tears fell down his face. Once he hit the floor he felt the air in his lungs leave and his mind go blank. All he could hear was Tony, the real Tony, yelling out his name and the other Tony laughing in his ears.

"Steve."

Everything felt like ice.

"Steve!"

Blue eyes shot open. Sweat covered Steve's face and breathing was a labored activity. Quickly, he sat up and looked around the room as the memory of what just happened came flooding back.

He let out a sigh of relief. He was still in the lab. Only the room looked different. There was what looked like fog covering the entire room. Steve felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. His head snapped back to see who or what it was.

"Tony? Please tell me it's really you."

"It's me. I promise." Tony smiled. He didn't look dead. Like at all. He looked like he was really there. Steve's eyes shifted to Tony's hand that was on his shoulder. His hand didn't feel cold. He felt warm.

"Tony! I can't feel that! What's going on?"

"Steve-"

Steve stood up and started walking towards the door.

"How long have I been here. The others must be worried. I have to tell them I'm okay. I'll be right ba-" Steve smacked into the door. Or what he thought was the door. He reached forward to touch it and an invisible barrier prevented him from doing so. Steve spun around and looked at Tony with fear noticeable on his face.

"What is this?"

"..you, technically, left two hours ago."

Steve continued to stare.

"I think my dark side or whatever.. I think it won… and possessed you.."

Tony hid behind his hands. Steve just stared at him, not sure of this was real.

"So what you're telling me is that _thing_ is controlling my body?"

Tony winced at Steve's words. He threw his hands down to his sides from anger.

"That _thing_ is me! Just because I only showed a fraction of it, that's me at my worst. That's all of my negative thoughts that I battled with everyday." Tony sounded furious now.

"Tony… I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Whatever. This is perfect. You and I are stuck here. We can save anyone from possessed you because of it. No one even knows we're here." Tony was panicking now.

Steve ran over and pulled Tony into a strong embrace. Tony froze. His hands shook as he returned the hug.

"We'll figure this out. I promise, Tony."

"How are a dead guy and his temporarily dead friend going to fix this." Tony rolled his eyes.

"You're going to fight. The other side of you hasn't one yet if you're still here." Steve smiled.

"Fight how?" Tony questioned..

"We're going to make it to where you can affect more than just pencils. Hate to say it Tony but you're gonna have to train." Steve laughed under his breath.

"Great. I don't know which emotion will work. If anger his that Tony's, then what's mine?" Tony got annoyed again.

"Probably the opposite." Steve said has he placed a hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony tensed at the sudden contact and behind him a box practically exploded behind him. After a moment of shock, the two men made eye contact and Steve was fighting the urge to smile at Tony. Maybe the dark side of the genius was right. Maybe Tony liked him.

With a glare, Tony moved out from under Steve's hand. "Shut up." He warned before he walked away, earning a laugh from Steve.


	4. You Know Who I Am

"You know just because I'm, oh I don't know, _DEAD_ doesn't mean I can't get a headache!" Tony yelled as he rubbed his temples.

Steve had been screaming at the door, for half an hour now, hoping someone would hear them and help. Earlier he was banging on the door with as much strength possible, hoping for the same thing but thanks to the invisible barrier that trapped them, Steve's hands had looked burned to the point of no return. Tony had nearly screamed at the sight, while he tried to medically examine the supernatural burns, only to actually scream when the injuries heal suddenly on their own. Even though the effects that the barrier caused weren't permanent, it still hurt like a bitch.

"Stop saying that." Steve growled without turning away from the door.

"Saying what?" Tony tilted his head to the side as a scowl grew on his face.

"You know what I mean." Steve shot a glare over his shoulder. He was beyond pissed. Tony hadn't exactly tried to help. He needed to at least try to move his surroundings but after several failed attempts the genius gave up. That's when Steve decided to take matters into his own hands. Sure he couldn't leave but his situation was different so he thought he could attract attention if he tried, since he was still technically alive. Still, deep down Steve's main reason for being angry was that Tony kept saying he was dead. It hurt more and more each time he said it. It seemed like he didn't care.

Tony had walked up behind Steve, leaned forward til his mouth was near Steve's ear just so he could be heard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know being _DEAD_ was bothering you!" Steve spun around so that his face was inches from Tony's.

"Look just because you gave up-"

"You act like I've only recently tried to move things. I've been here for years, remember? You'd be surprised at how much I've tried. I'm sorry that I'm not getting you results as quickly as you want, but I don't exactly understand how all of this works, Captain. " Tony raised an eyebrow as venom oozed from his voice.

Steve stared Tony in the eye, his temper softening. He opened his mouth to speak but Tony wasn't done being pissed.

"Look I get it. This is all my fault. If I hadn't tried to show off and be a hero, I wouldn't have died, I wouldn't be stuck here, you wouldn't have come in here, and you would have never been possessed or whatever. None of this would have happened if I had just realized that I was not invincible." Tony's rage faltered the more he talked. His eyes dropped to the floor and his face wore a somber expression.

Steve's eyes burned with tears that he refused to let fall. He felt awful for not realizing that Tony had spent most of his time trying to figure all of this out. He should have known. Tony can't just sit around, he felt the need to find answers, so of course he had tried everything he could think of. Steve's head hurt at the thought that, after five years, Tony made no progress. It must have destroyed Tony deep down when he couldn't figure it all out, and here was Steve giving him a hard time for not fixing everything in one day. Behind his calm outer shell, Tony was most likely going insane.

"Tony, I didn't mean it like that. I just-" Steve let Tony interrupt.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever we did to make that box explode yesterday isn't working now. No matter what I do, I'll never figure it out so welcome to your own personal Hell. You're stuck with me…"

"Tony, being around you isn't hell. I-"

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers."

"Tony-"

"Why don't you stay on your side of the room and I'll stay on mine. That way you won't have to be anywhere near me."

"Tony, would you just shut up and listen!" Steve yelled as he grabbed Tony's arms and shook the genius.

"The reason I avoided this room for so long was because I was scared. In the past I let my emotions get the best of me and I really liked having you around, and then you were gone and I couldn't handle the pain of coming in here without you being here. If I had known that you were stuck here, I would have shown up sooner. I swear I wasn't avoiding this room because I hated you. I did it because I knew once I set foot in here the weight of losing someone I loved would crush me…"

Tony stood there, shocked by Steve's words. His hands slowly reached up and grabbed Steve's wrists. With a shaky breath he removed Steve's hands from his shoulders.

"Someone you loved?" Tony whispered.

Steve snorted. "Of course you caught that."

"It doesn't matter though. I'm dead. If we figure this out you can't exactly date a dead guy." Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"Please stop reminding me that you're gone." Steve looked at the floor and scratched the back of his neck.

"Sorry. But, that means you liked me? Like for real?" Tony continued to pry.

Steve laughed a quiet laugh. "Technically, I still do. You're hard to let go, Tony."

Instantly, the windows flew open, letting the sun light up the room. Tony ran over to one of the windows and took a deep breath in as he soaked up some of the bright sunlight.

"Tony how did you do that?" Steve asked, eyes wide.

"I don't know. Let's see, the last time something like that happened was when you touched me. Obviously that's not what happened this time, so what about this moment is the same as last time?" Tony was talking to himself more than Steve.

After mumbling words Steve couldn't hear, Tony looked up at the super soldier and smiled. Steve felt his heart jump at the sight.

"You… you're the common variable. Sure you've done different things each time, but the only time something actually happens is because you do something. It sounds stupid and I don't know why that would make sense, but for whatever reason you seem to be the thing that causes me to affect our surroundings." Tony shrugged his shoulders.

Steve looked down at the floor, deep in thought, before he marched towards Tony and grabbed his hand. Tony's eyes shot down to look at their hands intertwined together. His mind went blank except for the sudden realization that their hands seem to fit perfectly together. It felt right to Tony and he felt his face grow warm because of it.

"Ready to test your hypothesis?" Steve asked with a smile.

Before Tony could answer, Steve was pulling Tony towards the door, gradually picking up speed the closer we got. Tony realized Steve was going to try to run through the door.

"Steve! Wait! Slow down please. We can test this other ways. Steve!" Tony yelled, only to be ignored.

"Steve it was just a suggestion. No need to become irrational on me. I'm the irrational one! Not you! Steve!" Tony started smacking Steve's shoulder. He didn't care that he probably looked stupid. The burning sensation that door caused was bad enough to let Tony show he was scared.

Tony closed his eyes once they were inches from the door. He waited for the sudden impact that has burned him so many times before only it never came. Slowly, one brown eye opened and saw nothing but hallway. His breath became caught in his throat as they looked around.

"Steve… i-it worked!" Tony let go of Steve's hand and jumped in a circle for joy.

"And yet you doubted me." Steve grinned down at Tony. "When will you learn that I know what I'm doing… sort of."

Tony laughed. He realized he missed laughing. Especially when Steve caused it, but the realization quickly left his mind as slowly the laugh became a cough. Then Tony was choking. He fell on his hands and knees as he continued to struggle for air. Steve fell down to his side, fear rising as Tony clawed at his throat. Tears started falling from the billionaire's eyes. Steve had never seen Tony this scared before and it caused him panic.

"Tony!" Steve felt tears sting his eyes once Tony started coughing up blood.

"Tony I don't know what to do!" Steve panicked as he grabbed Tony's face. Their eyes met and Tony was able to swallow a deep breath in. The feeling burned his throat slightly, but he ignored it as he took long breaths in before speaking.

"Don't let go of me… please." Steve rested his forehead on Tony's as he continued to breathe loudly.

"I don't understand. What happened?" Steve whispered as he shook slightly.

"I think it's because I let go of your hand… I'm not sure if it's my heart racing that causes everything or what, but for some reason I can't do anything without you." Tony mumbled under his breath. He cursed under his breath. That would have sounded like a romantic compliment in any other situation.

"But why was there blood? I didn't think you could still bleed or have a heartbeat for that matter. I mean you don't need those to survive so why does that stuff still affect you?" Steve's mind was running wild with questions.

"I don't know. Eternal suffering or something. I can't die but I can definitely suffer…" Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"... I'm sorry Tony." Steve felt his throat tighten. He hated the idea that Tony had to spend possibly eternity like this. He hated that Tony seemed so calm about it as well.

"Don't be. Come on, let's go find your body." Tony changed the subject before to many feelings were shared. He might be the good side of himself but he still acted the same way when he was alive. He chest hurt at the thought. It was a little unfair that his good side was the side people saw the most and saw as the bad guy, when the real bad guy had never shown his face.

The two got up off the floor and started walking, arms intertwined. Tony put most of his weight onto Steve. He hated to admit it but the sudden scare had taken a lot of his energy. At least Steve didn't seem to mind.

"Hey." Steve's voice shook Tony out of his thoughts. "I promise I won't let go of you."

Tony could help but smile at Steve.

"Hey Cap, you okay? You seem off." Natasha asked the physically present Steve.

"Never better, Nat."

Steve's voice sounded like another was trying to take over. Like something else was in his skin with him. The team instantly notice something was off with the Captain. The way he walked seemed different. The words he used. Even the facial expressions he made seemed more like he was an actor pretending to be Steve. Each day someone on the team would ask if he was okay, waiting to see if he'd say something that would show them he wasn't, but they got the same answer each time.

" _Never better."_

It was getting to the point where they felt like this was the new Steve and they'd have to get use to it. That is until they heard a voice.

" _Help us.."_

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who heard that." Clint sat up straighter on the couch. His mind told him it sounded like the deceased genius. He shook his head at the thought. There was no way that was true.

Everyone but Steve was together watching TV. They had no idea where Steve was.

"It sounded like… no it couldn't be." Bruce shot down his thought before he could say it. Clint felt less crazy once he realized Bruce thought the same thing.

" _Please.."_

"That's not possible.." Natasha whispered as she looked around the room. To her that voice sounded oddly like the Captain.

The room had become cold. It was like a layer of ice covered the place. It was cold enough the windows started to freeze. Everyone's eyes went wide when an invisible hand wrote on the window.

' _Avengers Assemble.'_

"Really? That's what you write?" Tony shook his head at Steve.

"What? Now they know it's me." Steve shrugged his shoulders.

"You as well write 'Hi I'm Steve Rogers' because that's basically what you did." Tony said flatly.

"Well what would you have written?" Steve raised an eyebrow at the shorter man.

Tony grinned as he stepped forward.

Clint shook his head at the window. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Tony?" Bruce mumbled at the window.

"Quick call the Ghostbusters. We don't need Stark haunting us." Natasha smirked, knowing that even though they couldn't see him, Tony was fake pouting.

"Well now what do we do?" Thor asked from behind everyone.

"We help them." Clint shrugged his shoulders.

They all glanced at the window one last time before they turned to find imposter Steve. Bruce couldn't help but chuckle at Tony's message.

' _You know who I am.'_


	5. Desperate Is A Nine Letter Word

"Are we supposed to have an exorcism?"

"Clint."

"I'm serious. We fight bad guys, how do we stop a ghost?"

"Clint."

"Do we run in, bibles locked and loaded?"

"Clint!"

"Sorry."

Bruce rubbed his temples for the hundredth time that day as he sat in what use to be Tony's lab. He felt sick when he first walked in there, unsure if it was from sadness for losing a friend or from guilt for avoiding the room. He had hoped that being in the lab would help them figure out exactly what to do with the problem at hand, but the only thing he managed to find out was that the room effected each person differently.

Natasha's memory became awful. It had started with forgetting why she was in the lab. Then they noticed it was getting worse when she nearly kicked Clint thinking he was an intruder. Once they got her out into the hallway she agreed to avoid the room all together. Especially after they told her she had screamed about forgetting who she was.

Clint mentioned it was becoming harder to hear. It wasn't a sudden loss of hearing. It slowly got worse the longer he stayed in the room, but he didn't always notice it. Bruce had caught him messing with his ears, as if something were stuck in them, multiple times. Yet for whatever reason, they had to fight to get Clint out of the room every once in awhile.

Bruce noticed he wasn't affected negatively. Or so he hope. He found he was more relaxed. He didn't feel angry. The shadow the other guy cast felt smaller every moment he stayed in there. He knew it probably wasn't healthy but he barely left the room now. He could only hope in the long run, this was a bad thing that he became addicted to.

Thor walked out of the room as quickly as he walked in. As soon as his foot touched the floor of the lab he seemed to be drained of life. Almost like he was becoming mortal. He actually grew older it appeared. With help from the others he was up on his feet in the hallway, watching Bruce work from a distance. He didn't want to find out what exactly happened to him. Neither did the team.

One thing that surprised everyone was that ghosts didn't look the same. When the finally saw Tony, they mistook him for a hologram. Just like the ones Tony had that made his lab alive with electricity. He had a blue tint to him and it was almost like he was made of pixels. He didn't look like a ghost. He looked like a form of technology. But that didn't stop him from looking dead. Bruce winced thinking that was probably how he always looked and no one noticed.

Steve on the other hand had greeted them as soon as the came to the lab. He told them how much of a struggle it was for them to leave the room and that's why Tony was avoiding them. No one mentioned that he was obviously lying through his teeth. They did notice that he looked younger. He also had no color to him. He looked like he was from a black and white television show. Even as a ghost (or whatever he had become) he was still a man out of time.

Bruce pretended he didn't notice the way Tony stayed away from them. He pretended he didn't see how Tony would observed him as he worked from a distance. He pretended not to be hurt when Tony barely spoke anymore. All the times the team had joked about how talkative Tony was seemed like a cruel joke in itself. Irony was a bitch.

After several hours of planning, the team decided that in order to save Steve and help Tony move on, they were going to have to ask for help. They didn't necessarily like the idea, but it was all they had. While Clint and Natasha went to hunt down Steve's possessed self, Thor was off getting the help they required, leaving Bruce alone with Steve and Tony.

"What's it like? I mean you're technically still alive, so it's probably strange." Bruce was gathering as much information about Steve's situation considering Tony was still keeping his distance.

"I mean I feel fine, except for feeling cold all the time. It's like I'm back in the ice. I can only assume we're all affected based on what we fear or something strange like that. As Tony would say, 'I hate magic.'"

"You think magic might have something to do with this?" Bruce raised an eyebrow, he hadn't taken magic into consideration mainly because he didn't want to deal with it.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Tony voice made Bruce jump slightly.

The look on the billionaire's face as he appeared was one of annoyance. He hated to admit it, but the way his 'friends' avoided anything that had to do with him pissed him off. Especially considering all their equipment was made by him. Even the building they stayed in. The only thing he hated more was that now that they were here, they were in trouble. He wished he had figured out how this whole being dead thing worked before they got involved. Especially Steve.

"Which is why I'm still not on board with your call for help decision." Tony grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"We have to fix this somehow. If it was the other way around and you had to decide what to do you'd do the same thing." Bruce shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

"Uh, no. I'd build something cause that's what I do. Not pass it off to someone else to handle it because I'd rather avoid the situation all together." Tony growled between bared teeth.

"Tony, we aren't trying to avoid you."

"Oh, just because you aren't any more makes it all better, huh?"

"Tony." Steve hissed before he got too angry and destroyed something.

"Of course you'd defend them, Cap. You did the exact same thing. Avoided the room like it was a disease." Tony was fuming now.

"I only did it because it hurt thinking about you being gone."

Tony chuckled. "If it was anyone else you wouldn't do that."

Steve glared down at Tony. "Listen, I'm sorry for how we handled everything, but that doesn't mean you get to-"

"You don't get to tell me what to feel. You're not dead. When people thought you were, they kept looking for you. You came back and everyone loved you. I die and everyone acts like I never existed. I show up again and everyone rushes to the rescue, not for me, for you. Because Steve's still alive. We have to save Steve." Tony looked like he was going to cry. His hands were shaking at his sides as he repeatedly closed them into fists.

"Tony we're trying to help you too." Bruce joined the conversation again with a whisper.

"No. You're trying to help me move on. Making sure I'm gone for good. If I'm not here, you can continue on with your lives without feeling guilty." Tony looked down at the floor. Tears started to flow and Bruce hated that his mind wanted to study how a ghost could cry instead of wanting to comfort his friend.

The sound of Bruce's phone receiving a message broke the tension.

 _-Found the imposter Steve. Boy you weren't kidding about it being Tony's dark side. He just littered. Lord almighty, send help.-_

Bruce could help but chuckle at Clint's message. When he looked up he saw that Tony was hiding again. They probably wouldn't see him for a while. Especially after that outburst of emotions. Talking about feelings was rare for Tony and his emotions were probably heightened now that he was a ghost, so it was no surprise he'd be awol for a while.

"They found him. Well you. I'm not sure how to word this situation." Bruce shook his head as he spoke to Steve.

"Hey. Don't worry about Tony's words. He'll come around."

Even though Steve looked unsure, Bruce nodded with a small smile.

"What took you so long?" Bruce raised his voice slightly as he heard footsteps approaching the door to Tony's lab.

"You must really think I'm stupid." What sounded like a mixture of Steve's and Tony's voice combined echoed through the hall.

"Shit." Steve whispered.

"Your little spies aren't very convincing when I personally know them. And boy, muscle memory is great. Being Steve made it too easy to take them down." Tony's other half appeared in the doorway as Steve, with a wicked grin.

"You didn't kill them did you?" Tony had reappeared now.

"No no. Don't worry. I need you all alive. For now. You see I've found that I can only possess people in this god forsaken room. Still feeling safe in here, Brucey?" As that question flowed into the room, Steve's actual body dropped to the floor unconscious. What looked like a red, electrical virus traveled through the air until it reached Bruce.

With a chuckle, Bruce's eye flashed red and his lips grinned at Tony and Steve.

"Now this is more like it. With my mind capable of accessing Bruce's, I can finish what I've started."

"No. Don't. You have no reason to hurt anyone." Tony's voice shook as he spoke to his 'dark side.'

"Why is it you assume I'm going to hurt someone." Bruce's voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"You are his dark side. Or did you forget?" Steve nodded his head towards Tony as he spoke. He didn't notice how he seemed to be fading away.

"Quiet. You'll be back in your body soon. Then you can leave and pretend this never happened." Bruce's face looked disgusted as the being controlling him spat words out at Steve.

"What are you going to do?" Tony mumbled.

"I'm going to complete our unfinished business."

With those words, 'Bruce' walked out the door, leaving a nearly faded Steve and a confused Tony, waiting until help arrived.

"Captain Rogers! You are yourself again?"

Thors voice brought Steve back to consciousness. With a deep growl Steve sat up from his position on the floor. A quick scan around the room told him Tony was hiding again, for reasons unknown.

"It's Bruce. He's taken over Banner." Steve breathed out in a rushed panic.

Thor stared down at Steve like they never had met. With a jolt of sudden realization, Steve jumped up and lead Thor out of the lab.

"Thor are you crazy? Did you forget what that room did to you?" Steve's breath was loud and chaotic in a way.

"For a moment there, yes. Now you say Dr. Banner is the new target?"

"We think he's going to become the Hulk and attack someone or something. I really don't know." Steve looked down at the floor.

Tony appeared in the doorway. " Bruce is here. Stuck like me. It's just like when you were being controlled."

"Make sure he's okay. I'll be in there in a minute." Steve didn't turn to look at Tony. For some reason he didn't want to see the man while he was back in his own body. He hated that he was okay while Tony was still stuck.

"Worry not, Captain. Help is here. It took a lot of persuasion, but he's here to help." Thor placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.

Tony was back in at the doorway. Disapproval all over his face. "I'm still not okay with this. There's got to be a better way to fix this."

"Tony we don't have a choice." Steve mumbled, still not looking at Tony. He mentally swore at himself for once again avoiding Tony.

"If he helps he's just going to want a favor from us. That could mean anything like the end of the world." Tony muttered.

Steve didn't want to admit that Tony had a point.

A chuckle ceased all arguing as all eyes locked on the help they requested.

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."


	6. A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Lose

Green energy filled the cold room that was once Tony's lab. Slender fingers waved through the air as Loki muttered words unheard by any of the rooms occupants. Thor still remained with his hip clued to the doorway, unable to enter. Steve, now fully use to being in his own body so to speak, sat in the far corner of the room. He made sure to stay closest to a window in hopes that the feeling of being in ice would disappear. Bruce, trapped in the same predicament as Tony, (only with the possibility of freedom keeping him from panicking) was staring out said window that the Captain sought out for warmth, in hopes of catching sight of Natasha and Clint's return. Tony however, had disappeared after making sure everyone knew he did not approve of the use of Loki's assistance.

There was no news of a Hulk attack. No alarms blaring, warning the Avengers of a fight with a raged out Bruce Banner. Nothing. And that only unsettled the team, excluding Loki, more. The trickster made it obvious that he wouldn't oppose a few buildings being destroyed, or a few lives being lost. The room only grew colder, no doubt Tony's mood growing more sour by the minute.

Bruce was the first to break the silence. "What are we accomplishing here? Shouldn't someone being going after Tony's other half?"

"Thor says Loki can help. That's our move for now." Steve remained seated, his arms crossed as he spoke. His eyes never left Loki, as if he believed the God would vanish if blue eyes looked away. Which, if Steve thought about it, was an actual possibility.

"How strange. You all trust me so quickly. Yet it took quite a tremendous amount of time for you all to trust one another. Especially the one who hides. He still might not trust me, but part of him does not trust any of you, still to this day." Loki smirked as he watched his magic cover every square inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling.

The room grew cold again. Loki either didn't notice or just didn't care, but Steve mentally winced. Tony was pissed and they didn't need both halves of Tony on their bad side.

"Loki, we all now you're only helping for some sort of triumph in the end, so I suggest if you still want that, you better speed things up and stop being an ass." Steve voice grew slightly darker than his usual Captain facade.

Almost as soon as the swear word left Steve's mouth, the room lost some of its chill.

"Well, dear Captain, magic like this does take time. Believe it or not, this isn't just some hobby. It requires skill, patience, and above all control. I cannot just clap my hands and make what you're asking happen."

"Brother, are you sure you can even complete the enchantment? It is a rather strenuous piece of, regrettably, dark magic and is hard to accomplish alone." Thor's voice seemed to bring a sense of compassion into the room, creating warmth around every nook and cranny. It felt as if the concern Thor felt for his brother and his safety had bath bombed the lab instantly. Steve wondered if Bruce and Tony could feel it too.

As if on cue, Tony appeared, face inches from Loki's. Anger and a hint of fear etched into his features made Steve believe that they now had another furious Tony Stark to face.

"Dark. Magic."

His words were barely a whisper. Whether they formed a statement or a question was unsure.

"Their only hope is base on dark magic."

"Tony."

Bruce, unsure if it would help reached out, ready to stop Tony from lashing out as he floated over Loki.

"Not only that, but you might not be able to get your shit together and actually get the goddamn thing right?" Tony didn't yell. He looked angry, but he never rose his voice. His eyes also never stopped staring into Loki's.

The trickster smiled.

What felt like hours passed before Tony reacted to the silence Loki answered with.

"Complete your mission. After that you're leaving and I better not hear from you again."

Loki's smile never faded. He even rolled his eyes to show he didn't care and in the background Steve felt a pinch of sadness as he realized how little people seemed to care for Tony.

"Go back into hiding. I'll call for you when I'm ready." Loki turned his back to Tony as he began to concentrate on his magic once more.

"Loki. Enough." Steve barked from his corner. Eyes becoming impossibly blue that they resembled ice. Thor chuckled in the doorway as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Something funny, brother?" venom spat from Loki's lips as if he just realized that he had Thor as a brother.

With a bright, warm smile the blonde God scratched as his stubble; as if trying to hide his smile only to fail. "You are. Loki, you act like you're high and mighty compared to my mortal comrades, but when you are tested, you become just as petty as the average human."

Tony, who surprisingly was still visible for the time being, crossed his arms and faced away from everyone slightly. "You trying to call us petty, Goldilocks? If so you can leave for all I care."

"Metal man acting like a metal child. You call yourself an adult? Is this what Earth's offspring is doomed to become? A temperamental child, forever roaming the planet." Loki sneered. A flash of amusement went over his pale face as he saw Tony's eye twitch with anger.

In the background Thor's chuckled was barely a whispered. Followed by the faint, "He does it again," as he motioned towards his brother. Loki growled under his breath at Thor's teasing.

"I don't even understand why you need my help. You already have the dark half of Stark captured here." Loki grumbled as he went back to work.

Instantly Steve, Bruce, and Tony were crowded around the trickster.

Steve broke the stunned silence first. "What do you mean by that?"

Loki raised an eyebrow at the three men for a moment before he understood their confusion. "You didn't know? Not even Stark himself?"

"Brother, what didn't we know?" Thor boomed from the door, just barely keeping himself from falling into the room.

"Can't you tell? This side of your friend isn't as angry, true. But he's closed off, dark, and what you know as depressed. You thought his bad side was his anger, but really the dark side is the one I saw the first day I met the damned Avengers. It's Stark's mask. The side of him you all saw everyday."

"Clint, any sign of Stark?"

Natasha checked her phone for an update from Steve or even Thor for the thirtieth time. To her right, Clint sat with his arms perched on a broken cement wall that fenced in the small building they were sitting in to blend in while they hunted down a Tony possessed Bruce Banner.

"Negative. Any word on-"

"No."

"Rude. You know one day I'm going to be tired of you interrupting me and I'm gonna leave because of it. Then what will you do without me?" Clint flashed a bright smile while he spoke, eyes still scanning the reported last sighting of "Bruce."

"I'll throw a goddamn party."

Clint smirked. "What if you need my help one day in the future? I could go off the grid like Banner use to do before the team and be hard to find."

"If anyone needed you, they could find you in a Carnival." the smile Natasha wore was one of her more genuine ones. Even with their situation at hand, Clint could keep her calm which was saying a lot since she could do that on her own rather well.

Before Clint could breathe out his retort, Natasha's phone vibrated. She pulled it to her ear with a little more force than intended, but if Clint noticed, he didn't and wouldn't say anything.

"Steve?"

" _It's about Stark. It's not what you think. You need to-"_

"Nat. I got eyes on him. We need to move." Clint expertly jumped of the concrete wall taking off in a sprint as soon as his feet silently hit the ground.

"We got this Steve. Don't worry we'll get him and fix this." before Steve could respond, Natasha had hung up the phone and gracefully followed her friend towards the inner city of Kolkata.

Steve threw his phone to the floor as soon as Natasha ended the call.

"Shit."

"Watch your language, Cap." Tony said without any real humor to it.

"Shit." Steve repeated. It all made sense. The Tony they were protecting was indeed more calm and noticeably distant, but the fact that Steve never realized that this was the great to mask of Tony Stark only gave his the feeling of indigestion if he was honest.

Before Tony died, Steve had been lucky enough to see the real Tony when they were alone. The one who wore his heart on his sleeve. The one who spoke his mind when necessary. While to others it seemed like rage it was really the hero in Tony fighting for what he thought was right. It just seemed to be that the half of the man in question that was assumed dark, knew if he played up the anger he could get out and fix what he felt was wrong. The light side of Tony knew he was the "good" half so he made his friends fear him to be a hero one more time.

"Steve?"

Tony's voice broke through Steve's train of thought.

"If I'm the bad half, why don't I feel… evil?" Tony asked.

Steve sighed unsure of how to answer.

Oddly enough, Bruce stepped in. "I don't think it's that simple. Bad and good isn't as clear as black and white. Your subconscious must know that the act you always played was bad for you and the anger was you fighting. So to you, fighting is good. It's not a higher being deciding. It's you."

Tony looked down at the floor still unsure.

"Besides. I don't think any side of you is evil T-Bone." Bruce smiled.

"This is probably some sort of moral decision I have to make before I completely move on. Like to I have to learn how to be okay with both parts of me or pick one? How does this work?" Tony shrugged as he smiled a sad smile back at Bruce.

Loki then stepped forward. A look of actual concern etched on his face. "Either way, if you want answers, you'll need to figure out what the other Stark-"

Steve noticed Loki freeze as he caught Tony's eye. For a brief moment, Steve could've sworn that he saw the trickster feel guilt or remorse for the genius. With a sigh Loki continued, shocking everyone with his sudden change of heart.

"You'll need to figure out what the other half of Tony wants."

Back in the doorway, Bruce noticed Thor beaming as he mumbled, "That's my brother."

"Okay, what's with the kindness?" Tony raised an eyebrow at Loki.

"A mind is a terrible thing to lose. But to lose half of your spirit is something I would not wish on my greatest enemy."

When everyone still aimed confused looks at Loki he sighed once again. "Also this whole helping out others isn't too bad. So I guess I'll work on being nice while I save the day better than any of you can."

"Loki. That wasn't very nice." Thor grinned from his permanent spot.

"Don't push it."

"Not that this isn't fun but I really would like to figure all of this out sooner than later. You were brought here to help not, you know, suddenly become a friend or whatever this is." Tony crossed his arms as he spoke, only to to completely disappear before his last word left his lips.

Loki rolled his eyes and began what appeared to be a new spell. With noticeably less venom in his voice he muttered, "Mortals. Always making things about themselves."

"Remind you of anyone?" Steve asked voice staying rather neutral.

"That Barton fellow?"

Even if they didn't hear it, Tony's laugh was obvious. If they based it on how warm the room got after that comment.


End file.
